While studying at FIT, Forest Hills-based interior designer Evelyn Chin was driven by a passion for color and helping her future clients achieve harmony in their homes. Today, Chin brings her artistic talent to each and every design. Here, we talk with Chin about some of her recent work.
Long Island Pulse: When taking on a project, what would you say is your ultimate goal?
Evelyn Chin: I believe it’s most important to achieve the right energy in a space. I do my best to create a sense of harmony between a room’s elements such as the furniture, fabrics and accessories, often using color as a guide. There’s a certain way to create balance using scale and proportion—that’s what I’m all about.
LIP: You do a lot of custom work for clients; tell us about some recent projects.
EC: I create a lot of original artwork for clients; however I recently completed a pair of children’s rooms where I designed custom rugs instead. Both are bursting with bold colors like orange, pink and red—all requested by the children. The rugs really became the focal point of the room, giving it plenty of energy and personality, just like the kids have.
LIP: How was it working with children?
EC: It was fun to listen to their ideas and go through the process. It wasn’t so different from working with my other clients. There are always compromises! For example, I recently finished work for a client that wanted to transform her bedroom into more of a relaxed retreat. She was adamant about keeping her traditional style dark furniture—not my ideal situation. We made it work and for paint and fabrics we introduced a softer color palette consisting of eggplant, white and yellow with silver accents that made the furniture almost fade into the background. It really turned out beautifully.
Design Tip: “While white is most often the preferred choice for ceilings and moldings, I strongly suggest using a color instead. White can be too stark at times. Painting the ceiling the same color as a room’s walls, such as grey or a soft blue, will soften the space.”